ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 11th-ranked and top-seeded Bethel University softball team secured back-to-back MIAC playoff championships after defeating No. 25-ranked and No. 2-seeded Saint Benedict 1-0 at Ona Orth Athletic Complex Saturday evening.
BU is now winners of 23 straight which ties the single-season record the squad recorded last season.
Kayla Simacek continued to be untouchable, pitching a complete game shutout where she walked one and tallied eight strikeouts to put her at 897 career Ks.
A pitcher's duel between two of the top arms in the MIAC, saw both teams held scoreless through the first three and a half tense inning.
Lexi DeBace drove an RBI single down the right field line to score
Allie Fauth-Kilgore and give the Royals the all-important early 1-0 lead.
Fauth had reached to start the fourth on a bloop single to center before moving up to scoring position on a wild pitch.
Simacek would work out of a jam in the fifth with a strikeout stranding Bennies at second and third. She got three groundouts in the sixth after giving up a leadoff single before the Bennies in the seventh put a runner on with two outs.
Cortney Hokanson put the icing on the cake throwing out a stealing runner at second for the final out.
Bethel has earned the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships and will find out its regional placement during Monday's selection show that airs at 12 p.m. CT. The show can be viewed at
NCAA.com.
